Sonnet 19 | Historical Context
As a literary genre, the sonnet originated in Italy and is associated with the name of Francis Petrarch (1304–1374). Petrarch was inspired by the first sight of a woman he referred to as “Laura,” whom he loved and worshipped from afar for a period of twenty years until her death in 1348 and for ten years after that. The poems Petrarch wrote describing his hopeless love for Laura inspired a vogue that lasted for centuries in Western poetry.
The characteristic Petrarchan sonnet consists of an octave (eight lines) in which the subject is described and developed, and a...
[The entire page is 905 words long]
Join eNotes
The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the:
Summary and Analysis – Themes – Characters – And much more...
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
Related Topics
Tell a friend about Sonnet 19 at eNotes.
